5 Simple DIY Lessons I Wish I Knew Sooner
It sounds absolutely absurd to say this out loud, but I’ve been renovating my homes and doing DIY projects for over a decade now. I did my very first DIY project in 2010. Corey and I jumped right in with a (pretty complicated) chair reupholstery project and I was so proud of it. I made approximately one million mistakes and did much of it completely wrong. But I loved that silly little chair with my whole heart. After that, I couldn’t stop. I painted our kitchen table and chairs, learned how to stain with our coffee table, and once we bought our first house the following year I began tackling projects constantly.
DIY is in my DNA. I grew up watching my dad do DIY projects around our house constantly, and while he never sat down and taught me anything specific, I clearly caught the bug. I’ve taught myself pretty much everything I know through reading blogs, watching YouTube videos, and just general trial and error.
I was thinking recently about how much I’ve learned and how far I’ve come. If you would have told me 10 years ago that it would be my full-time job to renovate my home and do DIY projects, I would have been baffled…but here we are! As I was thinking about it, I asked myself what I wish I could go back and tell that young girl that would be most helpful. What do I wish I had known at the beginning?
I came up with 5 super simple DIY lessons that I think would have been hugely helpful for me to hear. And, I figured it was worth sharing with you too! Whether you’re on the beginning of your DIY journey, you’ve got even more projects under your belt than me, or you’re somewhere in-between, maybe these words will give you a little inspiration and encouragement today.
5 DIY Lessons I Wish I Knew Sooner
You WILL make mistakes. Embrace it. Learn to pivot.
For the first probably 10 years of doing DIY projects and sharing them online, I more or less refused to admit I made mistakes. It’s embarrassing. I am a perfectionist. And, as a perfectionist, I do not like when things don’t go according to plan!
But, I was making the mistakes. All the time. I was just mostly glossing over them when I shared here or on Instagram. Then, a few years back, I just decided to get vulnerable and actually share the mistakes. And guess what? The messages poured in from people who also make mistakes. And who were thrilled to hear I did too.
Who knew?! We ALL MAKE MISTAKES!
What a novel concept.
I feel like so often we just share the pretty, polished versions of ourselves online, and that can do some real damage when it comes to being authentic and making people feel less than. We all make mistakes in every area of our lives, DIY included. Get used to it. Embrace it. Talk about it. Don’t be embarrassed.
You will make mistakes when you’re doing DIY projects. Probably often. Sometimes you’ll have to pivot. You’ll cry. Sometimes you’ll blow the budget trying to fix a mistake. Sometimes you’ll have to scrap projects completely.
An example…
One of the most notorious mistakes in our household happened right here in this room. When I was tiling the wall, I decided on a herringbone pattern. It was a dumb choice for someone who has only tiled a handful of times and had never tiled with real stone tile before (it’s heavy!). But, you know, I’m nothing if not stubborn and overconfident. So I did it. And it was more or less a disaster.
I didn’t know how to work with this heavy of a tile. Half the wall came crashing down on me while I was tiling. I cried so many tears over this project. The herringbone pattern is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny. Several of the tiles are stained or damaged from the tile adhesive, because it got aaaall over them in the process of me trying to fix the mess.
It was complete chaos. I never talked much about it because it was that raw and upsetting. I just said it was hard and kind of moved on. And in photos it looks great! In person, I can see every flaw (although, I can also admit that to anyone who isn’t me, it looks great in person too).
The point is, the project turned out beautifully. Honestly. It looks great. Getting there was hell. But I learned some important lessons, I grew a little in my skills, and I’ll do better next time. And really, that’s all that matters.
Get really good at measuring. Seriously. It’s important.
Listen, I know that saying “get good at measuring” sounds almost laughable. How hard can it be? It’s just measuring tape. But, I’m serious. Being really precise, consistent, and good at measuring will serve you so well in almost every DIY project you tackle.
Take your time with it. Be precise. Learn the tricks. I even wrote a whole blog post about it!
I always always always recommend this tape measure – it has allowed me to be so much more accurate in my measuring. That alone is a game changer, but it also helps to really take the time to learn about the different features of your measuring tape and just to generally take it seriously!
Another tip on this note? Remember that when you cut wood, you always have to factor in the width of the blade. For example, if you have a board that’s exactly four feet long, it’s impossible to get two exactly 2-foot pieces from that board. Because, the width of the blade will shave off a fraction of an inch…and your two pieces will be slightly less than 2-feet! Do you need to be that precise in every single DIY project? No. But, sometimes you will need to be, and it’s a good habit to practice being that precise as often as you can. I promise it’ll serve you well.
Your tastes will change over time. That doesn’t mean you got it wrong the first time.
Oooooh boy. This is a big one. Say it with me: your tastes will change. What you love for your home today might not be what you love for your home in 5 years. And what you love in 5 years might be different than what you love 10 years after that.
And guess what? That doesn’t mean that any of it is wrong. Or bad. Or a mistake. It doesn’t!
When I look back on some of the design decisions I made for our first home, it’s like a different person made them. They’re so far removed from what I’d choose for my home today. I don’t cringe at them, or laugh at them, or make fun of myself. Because there’s nothing WRONG with them. They’re just different than what I’d pick now. And that’s fine!
Our bedroom in 2016.
I’m fully aware that some of the choices I’ve made in my own home now are not going to be my preference in 5 or 10 years. My home will evolve. As it should. There’s nothing wrong with any of that.
But, here’s where this lesson gets really important: if you are making big, permanent, or very expensive choices for your home, remember this lesson. I’m absolutely not saying you shouldn’t make big, bold decisions for your home. But I am saying that if you want to tile your entire kitchen with a star-shaped neon green tile, you should take a beat to ask yourself if you are confident you’ll love it long term.
The answer might be yes. And that’s great. As we get older and have more practice, we get more confident in our design choices. And if you know you love bold, colorful patterns and you always will, then there’s no reason to stay away from them. But, if you’re like me and you know that your style tends to evolve a bit more over time, it might be wiser to stick with more classic and neutral options for the big things.
Again – I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun with your design choices. I’m just saying that for me personally, I’ve learned that the big choices should be kept more on the simple side. I let myself go crazy with paint, wallpaper, accessories, hardware…anything that’s affordable and simple to change. And then, when my tastes do change down the road and I want to swap it out, it’s no big deal.
Our living room in 2016.
Giving yourself the freedom to change your mind in your home will open up a lot of doors for you. Once you stop telling yourself that every decision you make has to be the decision for all of time, you’ll find you’re able to have a lot more fun in your home. Promise.
Paint truly can work wonders.
Paint is my best friend. Seriously. If I could only ever work with one type of DIY project for the rest of my life and had to give up everything else, I’d choose paint.
Here are just a few examples of what you can do with paint:
- Cover up ugly tile
- Refresh your cabinets
- Give furniture a new life
- Create a mural
- Add interest to a ceiling
- Give your tub a whole new look
- Transform a boring room
- Completely change the look of your house
- Change your countertops
- Paint your island
- Add some fun to any room
And that’s not even close to the entire list even just from my own archives. Paint is incredible. Learn to harness its power early, and there’s basically nothing you can’t do.
You can do so much more than you think you can. Just do it scared!
And finally, the most important DIY lesson that I wish I could drill into everyone’s head. You can do it. That’s it. That’s the lesson. YOU CAN DO THIS!
Never in a million years did I think I would be capable of something like building a play camper, creating a fireplace from scratch, or building custom nightstands for myself. Never. But here I am – I’ve done all of that and then some. It’s not because I have some special skill or ability. I promise. It’s because I did it scared.
Did you know that before every single new project I take on, I spend the days leading up to it feeling absolutely petrified? It doesn’t matter if it’s a project I’ve done a dozen times before, I get nervous. I wonder if I’ll mess it up. I worry I’ll make too many mistakes. Every time, the hardest part of any project I do is just starting it.
But, once I’ve drilled that first hole, painted that first brush stroke, or hammered in that first nail, it all feels a little easier. And from there, it’s just one foot in front of the other. I encounter obstacles and mistakes – every time! But, it always feels less scary when I just force myself to START!
The lesson here? Don’t wait until you feel confident. Don’t wait until you aren’t scared anymore. You don’t need to be a pro before you even begin. Just try it. See what happens!
You just might surprise yourself!